Motion pictures can be captured and recorded as video using a variety of instruments including video cameras, cellular telephones, and the like. The recorded video can be viewed using applications including QuickTime movie player, Windows Media player, and the like. In addition, the recorded video can be edited using applications such as Motion offered by Apple Inc. (Cupertino, Calif.). Video editing applications can enable a user to add special effects to the recorded content. A user can add special effects to all or portions of the recorded content. The content with the added special effects can be stored on storage devices and played back using video viewing applications.
Video content recorded using suitable instruments can be stored as a series of image frames. Each image frame can represent a snapshot in time. When the video content is edited, an editor can access each image frame. The user can track the motion of all or a portion of an image in an image frame by selecting a point in the image and following the position of the selected point across successive image frames. The tracked point in the image can serve as a reference point for adding special effects to the content.